Melantha

Sob. I really, really wanted to love this. However, it turns to cherry cough syrup on my skin, and stays there. Sob.

On first sniff in the imp, I could smell the fruits and vanilla, with the myrrh faint in the background. On, I found that the pomegranate jumped to the fore, very strongly at first; then after about 10 minutes, the other notes started coming out, not much, though. After 45 minutes, the throw starts having other notes to it, and the incense is evident. Not much, but it's very, very nice. I missed this initially, but that will change. Oh yes, that will change.

Oh, this is yet another fab creation from Beth! As I try more scents, I'm finding that what I like is actually quite different from what I *thought* I like. I mean, we're all misled by the vast majority of department store perfumes out there. Before Beth, I never knew what I was missing. The amber and myrrh give such a solid foundation to the berries and carnation. It's a sweet scent but far from overpowering, and the spice of the carnation gives it kick. This is at least a 9 out of 10!

I was sent this as a frimp, and I'm so glad! I would never have tried it on my own, but it's the darkest oil I've seen thus far, and that piqued my curiousity. It's a beautiful combination. I tried it before bed, and while it didn't make me want to go out and grab someone, it certainly helped make a bad day much better. I didn't get much ylang out of it; the other notes were prevalent, with none overpowering the others. Decent throw, too. I'm going to consider a bottle of this. It's the darkest, deepest scent I've tried, and I could see myself wearing it quite a bit.

Named after the primordial ocean of milk where Lord Vishnu reclines upon the thousand-headed Naga. Sweet milk and warm, healing ginger with a touch of golden honey and our blend of Ambrosia. Oh, I really love this. Soft, sweet, with the ginger giving it just a little *something*. The problem is that I can barely smell it, even after slathering it on! Maybe I'll try it again after my moon passes....

In the bottle: Wow. Now *that's* Irish Coffee. Wet: The coffee is still there, but now there's a touch of... caramel? Dry: The faintest hint of the dry dustiness and wood emerges, just enough to round it out. Conclusion? Yum. I can't believe I snagged a bottle of this! I love the smell of coffee (even though I can't stand the taste) and this is what all coffee should smell like!

Shollin, bless her, got me an imp of this, and I shall treasure it. What a lovely, sweet, incomperable scent. I'm almost sad I've had the chance to try it, because now I will be disconsolate when I run out. All the notes blend into a whole that rivals Dorian and Underpants as my all time fave. Thank you!!!

In the bottle: Wow! This smells wonderful! Not too boozy, buttery, yum! Wet: Nice, I guess. All the things I liked about it in the bottle have diminished. Dry: Eh. It's not at all what it was in the bottle. Darn. Wear again? No. There are too many scents I love.

I didn't get a lot of vanilla or sandalwood out of it; on me, it's more floral, but not overtly so; it doesn't scream "department store perfume" to me. It's delicate, and complex, and soothing. I can see where I will be alternating between this and The Perfumed Garden.

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Fruity, and the florals aren't overwhelming, which would be a killer for me. The ginger gives it some grounding, and the musk is just enough in the background. Oh, I will love wearing this.

In the bottle: Spicy, sweet. I can hardly wait to put this on. Wet: Wait, is this the same oil? Suddenly I don't like it very much, it's not what it promised to be. Maybe the pepper has amped up. ETA: Smoky, that's it. It smells smoky, and smoke doesn't smell good on me. Dry: Ah, there we go! Cinnamon, cloves, and the pepper has faded to the background. Absolutely luscious! I practically have my wrists glued to my nose! I feel like fall. SO glad I scored a bottle of this!

Weird. I see a lot of mentions of pineapple in Baba Yaga, but all I got was an overpowering floral that gave me a headache, and smelled too much like a department store perfume. I wanted so much to love this!!!

I'm not a floral girl, really, but the idea behind it was intriguing, so I tried it. It's almost pure rose, with just a hint of something underneath it. I tested off the rim, very lightly, and it's *still* too much! It's rather overpowering right now, but I suspect that if I am very careful with it next time, I will love this one on the rare occasions when roses are just the thing.

Very fruity, a little bit floral, a little woody. It's nice, but I don't think it a scent for me; it doesn't give me that "WOW, this makes me happy!" that I get from other of Beth's blends. I'll keep my imp, but no bottle in the offing.

In the bottle: Fruity! I can smell the plum. Just what I wanted today. On: Ooh, the fruit is great, and the amaretto adds a little spiciness to it that is exactly what it needed. Dry: Not morphing, staying pretty much the same. I really, really like this! Throw: Medium to not much, but as I generally wear things for *me*, it doesn't matter. Big bottle going on order.

Weird. I didn't get grape, or fruit.... I got lily of the valley. It's a lovely scent, but I wore it today more for the courage aspect. It must have worked, because I found the courage to tell STBXH all sorts of things that I had bottled up during this mess. I feel ever so much better now, even though at the time I was crying and yelling. And he's being nicer, so something must have gotten through...

In the bottle: I can really smell the apple peel, along with some floral, which I can only deduce is the jasmine. I want to slather it on. On: The apple peel almost disappears, though it's still barely there in the background. Now I smell the florals, and the myrrh comes out. Nicely balanced, though, and very sexy. Drydown: The apple peel is back, but everything is still blended so nicely! I can see wearing this when a floral perfume would be expected, but I want something not so "girly". :D

In the bottle: Sweet, smoky, a little foody. On: Ooh, light, and now I can smell the booze, too. There's a green woodiness to it. Drying: The notes are blending together so nicely! It's much lighter than I expected, but oh so lovely. drydown: Ack! Nothing but smoke, which doesn't smell so great on me. Throw: Not much. I'm going to try it as a room scent before I give up on it.

In the bottle: Dark, warm, spicy. I can smell a little sandalwood. Wet: Spices all around me! I can't smell the florals yet, but I don't mind. I feel like I'm in a market in the Middle East. Drydown: The florals peek out, just a little bit, which is fine, because I'm not a floral gal. The mix of all the notes is wonderful; nothing dominates, they all just waft around me, making me feel like I should put on my bellydance stuff and break out a CD. Throw: Fairly strong, which is good when wearing something like this; you WANT to have people turn and look! Big bottle, definitely.

In the bottle: Warm, spicy, I'm not sure what I'm smelling, but I like it. On: Strong, almost overpowering sweetness, I can smell musk too, but I'm sure it'll calm down. wait.... oh no, there's something in here I'm allergic to! Gads! It's so pretty, too, but off to the swap pile it goes.

In the bottle: Almost a single note vanilla. And I love vanilla. Wet: ICK! What happened? I don't like this at all... the vanilla has disappeared, and something unpleasant has taken its place. a little later: The unpleasantness is gone, but so is the vanilla. I can only assume that's amber I'm smelling, and I'm not thrilled with it. Drydown: It's not changing. Boo! I wanted to love this one.

In the bottle: Nifty! I can't quite place everything, but it's warm, and inviting. Wet: Spice! Wow, this is warm, and cinnamon is right up front. Can't smell much else. Dry: Ooh, the wine has come out! Mulled wine, with some hints of green peeking through. Ah, lovely! Throw: Not much, but I don't care. This is a wonderful scent. I'm going to get a big bottle in my next order.

Oh my goodness. Wrangled an imp, and I'm in heaven. Smelled great in the bottle, but it's even better on! I'm in a cloud of sweet vanilla and rum, a complex scent that I could just sniff forever. Waaaaaah! I didn't find BPAL until April 14th!

Too sickly sweet for me. The apricot was just overpowering.

In the bottle: Perfectly lovely, I can't quite pin down what it is I'm smelling, but I like it. Wet: All florals. Rats. I hope this will change, cos I'm not a huge floral fan. Dry: The green, herbal scent is starting to show through, with the florals fading into the background, but still present. Ah, this is more like it! Throw: Medium. It didn't take a lot at all. I like it, though I'll probably hold off on a bottle for now. It's a good outdoorsy scent, clean, and ladylike, without being girly.